This invention is directed toward overcoming disadvantages and shortcomings in prior art display devices and fixtures designed to support relatively planar products such as carpet samples, floor mats, sample books, posters, or the like in a space efficient manner which is conducive to optimum display of the products and access for stocking procedures as well as customer inspection.
For example, heretofore product display racks for items such as aftermarket retail automotive floor mats have generally included a series of horizontally disposed, vertically spaced, display rack supports upon which a plurality of projecting support rods were anchored. Respective rows of support rods were also spaced in a tiered, front to rear fashion, and a plurality of floor mats were hung on each outwardly extending rod in side-by-side relationship In this arrangement, however, only the floor mat hanging on the front of each support rod was visible to the customer, and the number of floor mats which could be hung on each support rod was limited by the front to rear spacing between respective rows. In order to save space, the lower portions of floor mats supported on the upper tiers of the display extended below and behind the upper portions of lower tiers of product. Consequently, the number of mats which could be displayed on any particular rack of this nature was limited by the space available between the respective tiers, the number of support rods on any particular tier was directly controlled by the respective width of the adjacent mats, and only the upper portions of the front-most product hanging on each support rod was visible to the customer from the front of the display. Moreover, access to the floor mats for stocking, removal for inspection, and replacement following inspection was quite cumbersome and inconvenient due to the overlapping, tiered nature of the displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,852 (which issued to F. Howard) discloses a rack support for sample books of carpet or the like comprising a carrier element for each sample book which assumes a predetermined angularity with regard to the support bar as a result of a projecting member located adjacent an opening in the carrier element. This projecting member contacts the support bar and maintains the desired angularity. However, this structure requires a support bar extending between a spaced apart pair of columns and which is sufficiently spaced from an adjacent wall surface or the like to enable the products to hang freely. Such arrangement would not easily be adaptable to the often limited space restrictions encountered in retail displays and merchandising applications. Additionally, the strength and rigidity of the display device would be difficult to insure, and convenient labeling and distinction of various products or product models is not provided.
Similarly, a clothes display stand shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,552 (which issued to H. Walter) lacks sufficient structure for insuring a strong and rigid display fixture and assembly capable of optimally displaying a maximum number of products. The extension arms of the Walter clothes display stand are oriented at an angle relative to the wall elements and include grooves to receive the clothes hangers and orient the individual products parallel to the wall. Such orientation limits the number of products which can be placed on the supports, and limits the number of products which can be easily seen by potential customers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,686 (which issued to M. Kersey) illustrates a mounting bracket having a plurality of projections for supporting hooks of a garment hanger This display fixture would suffer from many of the same deficiencies as the standard, multi-tiered display arrangement described above. Similarly, the collapsible hanger for peg board type display panels set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,681 (which issued to A. Jahel) offers very limited support strength, and appears to be directed toward applications wherein relatively small, light products are to be supported.
Consequently, heretofore there has not been available a fixture and display assembly structure which adequately optimizes the number of products which can be simultaneously displayed and viewed by potential customers, and which features convenient access to the product for facilitating stocking, examination, and replacement by store personnel and customers alike. Prior fixtures and display assemblies were unnecessarily limited by space and product dimension restrictions, which limited their applicability, complicated display erection, product stocking, visual and physical access to the displayed products, and compromised efficient use of retail merchandising space.